Rik Leaf's Blog, page 21

Check Out Rik’s Music

Blow Your Mind – Stories Behind the Songs

Awake in the World was inspired by the hope I carry around with me, that it is actually possible to make a difference in this world…however unlikely it may seem at times. I was motivated by my personal experiences bouncing around from one subculture to another. Over the years I’ve found myself working with religious right wingers one day, and touring with left leaning lesbians the next…and on the weekend I’m somehow working with politicians on a Global College event at a university. My life and career either made no sense or perfect sense, depending on how you looked at it. So contrary to the ravings of the religious fanatics or the potential prejudices of my LGBT tour mates or the posturing of the political actors beside me, I realized we’re all in this together, and are actually better when we work together…regardless of how awkward it feels. When it comes to making the world a better place there is no quick fix, no one person, party or idea that can turn this thing around on it’s own. It’s the dirty little secret filling up the room – we actually need the people who aren’t like us. I think one of the most beautiful things about how I’ve chosen to live has been these friendships and experiences. When we were in the studio recording the song MJ had some pretty magic moments on her base. And Nolan, my fellow producer, salvaged the entire song by flying in the entire drum track after everything had already been recorded. I’ve never actually layered vocal tracks like this before. Nolan grew up in a Mennonite choral singing tradition full of harmonies, and kept pushing me to try things. He’d sing a line from the control room for me to try and kept recording. I remember laughing and saying I’d try anything, with the understanding that I could veto using them in the final mix. When I heard the song weeks later I was convinced he’d snuck into the studio and recorded vocal tracks when I wasn’t around. I found it all so foreign and exciting. I couldn’t believe it was me! Then I got an email telling me that while he was mixing the song, Carlin, the engineer, couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t throw in a Hammond organ part at the end. So I guess musically, the different production elements resonated with the initial inspiration behind the tune. I like this song a lot!

CLICK HERE to download Awake in the World

Je Me Souviens was inspired by a poem written by Eugène-Étienne Taché in 1883,

“Je me souviens/ Que né sous le lys/ Je croîs sous la rose

I remember/ That born under the lily/ I grow under the rose”

The lily and the rose are the floral emblems of France and England. I had started to write about the deeply complicated relationships between various cultures in Canada. I was trying to get at the importance of each of us remembering who we are and where we came, from regardless of who is in charge. The idea of writing about the country in terms of a relationship led to writing with Marie-Josee, an amazing Francophone artist. Marie-Josee kept coming up with such great vocal parts and ideas that we ended up extending the song to accommodate all her brilliance. Musically I was listening to The Cat Empire around the same time and totally blown away by the latin vibe. I couldn’t play the piano part, and didn’t know anyone who could. So I remember putting the word out through every musician I knew in Winnipeg and eventually I was introduced to Bert Johnson. A wickedly unassuming player who strolled into the studio, sat down and played the crap out of my piano. The whole combination of influences combined to produce the sexiest song on the CD.

CLICK HERE to download Je Me Souviens.

Rik Leaf/Marie-Josée Clement

In our hearts a thousand threads unwind

The tangled web is the tie that binds

Pulling us together as we’re tearing apart

Trying to find the centre and not knowing where to start

Tonight I feel hopeful caught up in a moment

Knowing we’ve chosen much more

Tonight we’re falling in caught up in

Knowing we’ve been so much more

We cracked the glass we cannot repair

All our broken pieces are held there in the mirror

In the silence there is so much to hear

So many things worth fighting for so many to fear

Tonight I feel hopeful caught up in a moment

Knowing we’ve chosen so much more

Tonight were falling in caught up in

Knowing we’ve been so much more

Je me souviens

Je me souviens de ton odeur de tes cicatrices

Le parcours de notre histoire gravé dans ma mémoire

Pour ne rien oublié je tiens ma parole

Je me souviens

Ont se détourne je tourne je tourne je tourne pour toi

Consommé lié empiégé je me souviens

Même quand on s’oppose je tombe pour toi

Même quand on se lutte je tombe pour toi

Je tombe je tombe je tombe je suis tombé de toi

Je perds la raison mais je suis tombé de toi

Je tiens ma parole alors je suis tombé de toi

Je tombe je tombe je tombe je suis tombé de toi

I had just finished a Western Canada tour with one of Canada’s most successful lesbian folk groups. We were heading from Vancouver Island back to the mainland, and from Horseshoe Bay we were driving straight back to Winnipeg. A minimum of 24 hours solid driving. As I sat at the front of the ferry the sun set, as we sailed through the pitch black. As we arrived at Horseshoe Bay, the water was so calm it was like glass, reflecting the lights of Vancouver like a mirror. The first line of this song popped into my head, and as I scrambled for a pen to write it down, images of places and experiences I’d had from previous tours raced through my mind. The Maple Leaf is like a series of travel excerpts from my mental journal. I wrote it almost as fast as I could write.

If you’d like to download The Maple Leaf, CLICK HERE

As the harbour draws near the Pacific disappears

In the bight lights of Vancouver

From the bay we make our way along the highway

And start to climb from sea to sky

Before we leave we make a point of eating cherries from the tree

And drinking wine in the Okanagan

As we pass through Banff we have our first chance to see

A prairie sky set on fire far and wide

Underneath the maple leaf we are drawn together

Underneath the maple leaf we are one

We set sail and for days we cross the endless waves of wheat

That crash against the shore under our wheels

Outside the Sault the sun breaks through the fog

As we cut our rugged path along north Superior

We wind our way through narrow lanes in old Quebec

To look across the sea way from Le Château Frontenac

You can almost hear the sounds of 1759

Echoing across the Plains of Abraham

Then we walk the white sand along the beach at Martinique

Eating mussels and drinking Alexander Keith’s

We raise a toast at the edge of the Atlantic coast

To the new found land where it all began

So raise your voice from the west to the east

To the truth north strong and free

Lonely was one of those songs written in a bar at 2:00 a.m. It was the end of the night, we were playing the last song in our set as the faithful flock of Jack Daniels disciples swayed like a field of wheat in a non existent breeze in front of the stage.

In mid croon, I discovered there was a picture of Jesus hanging on the wall beside me…in this seedy old run down bar. I guess he’s really a blues man at heart. I looked around at the ones and twos still left, holding on till the door was closed in their face and they’re forced to go home. Cause no one wants to go home when it’s the loneliest place you know.

Some would say the rest is history.

If you’d like to download Lonely CLICK HERE

Lost and alone your fingers worn from holding on

To a hope that’s been torn through suffering

Your glory grows like a rose in a field of thorns

Deep in the dark night of the soul

Lonely life can be so lonely

(with the world hanging on my shoulders)

Hold me and the night won’t feel so long

(carry me away)

Lonely life can be so bare

Through the black and blue

Beautiful bleeds right through

The light that shines in you

Jesus hangs in a picture frame on the wall behind me

In the paint a saint is revealed in suffering

Faintly drawn in the shape of a memory

I remember when his ghost used to haunt me

When the scars are all that’s left of the hurting

Buried deep underneath…your suffering

Lay your heart here on my altar

Stay until you are healed

Questions? Comments? A story of your own? Unlike the seedy bar, the comment section is always open.

Stories Behind the Songs That Will Blow Your Mind

Awake in the World was inspired by the hope I carry around with me, that it is actually possible to make a difference in this world…however unlikely it may seem at times. I was motivated by my personal experiences bouncing around from one subculture to another. Over the years I’ve found myself working with religious right wingers one day, and touring with left leaning lesbians the next…and on the weekend I’m somehow working with politicians on a Global College event at a university. My life and career either made no sense or perfect sense, depending on how you looked at it. So contrary to the ravings of the religious fanatics or the potential prejudices of my LGBT tour mates or the posturing of the political actors beside me, I realized we’re all in this together, and are actually better when we work together…regardless of how awkward it feels. When it comes to making the world a better place there is no quick fix, no one person, party or idea that can turn this thing around on it’s own. It’s the dirty little secret filling up the room – we actually need the people who aren’t like us. I think one of the most beautiful things about how I’ve chosen to live has been these friendships and experiences. When we were in the studio recording the song MJ had some pretty magic moments on her base. And Nolan, my fellow producer, salvaged the entire song by flying in the entire drum track after everything had already been recorded. I’ve never actually layered vocal tracks like this before. Nolan grew up in a Mennonite choral singing tradition full of harmonies, and kept pushing me to try things. He’d sing a line from the control room for me to try and kept recording. I remember laughing and saying I’d try anything, with the understanding that I could veto using them in the final mix. When I heard the song weeks later I was convinced he’d snuck into the studio and recorded vocal tracks when I wasn’t around. I found it all so foreign and exciting. I couldn’t believe it was me! Then I got an email telling me that while he was mixing the song, Carlin, the engineer, couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t throw in a Hammond organ part at the end. So I guess musically, the different production elements resonated with the initial inspiration behind the tune. I like this song a lot!

CLICK HERE to download Awake in the World

Je Me Souviens was inspired by a poem written by Eugène-Étienne Taché in 1883,

“Je me souviens/ Que né sous le lys/ Je croîs sous la rose

I remember/ That born under the lily/ I grow under the rose”

The lily and the rose are the floral emblems of France and England. I had started to write about the deeply complicated relationships between various cultures in Canada. I was trying to get at the importance of each of us remembering who we are and where we came, from regardless of who is in charge. The idea of writing about the country in terms of a relationship led to writing with Marie-Josee, an amazing Francophone artist. Marie-Josee kept coming up with such great vocal parts and ideas that we ended up extending the song to accommodate all her brilliance. Musically I was listening to The Cat Empire around the same time and totally blown away by the latin vibe. I couldn’t play the piano part, and didn’t know anyone who could. So I remember putting the word out through every musician I knew in Winnipeg and eventually I was introduced to Bert Johnson. A wickedly unassuming player who strolled into the studio, sat down and played the crap out of my piano. The whole combination of influences combined to produce the sexiest song on the CD.

CLICK HERE to download Je Me Souviens.

Rik Leaf/Marie-Josée Clement

In our hearts a thousand threads unwind

The tangled web is the tie that binds

Pulling us together as we’re tearing apart

Trying to find the centre and not knowing where to start

Tonight I feel hopeful caught up in a moment

Knowing we’ve chosen much more

Tonight we’re falling in caught up in

Knowing we’ve been so much more

We cracked the glass we cannot repair

All our broken pieces are held there in the mirror

In the silence there is so much to hear

So many things worth fighting for so many to fear

Tonight I feel hopeful caught up in a moment

Knowing we’ve chosen so much more

Tonight were falling in caught up in

Knowing we’ve been so much more

Je me souviens

Je me souviens de ton odeur de tes cicatrices

Le parcours de notre histoire gravé dans ma mémoire

Pour ne rien oublié je tiens ma parole

Je me souviens

Ont se détourne je tourne je tourne je tourne pour toi

Consommé lié empiégé je me souviens

Même quand on s’oppose je tombe pour toi

Même quand on se lutte je tombe pour toi

Je tombe je tombe je tombe je suis tombé de toi

Je perds la raison mais je suis tombé de toi

Je tiens ma parole alors je suis tombé de toi

Je tombe je tombe je tombe je suis tombé de toi

I had just finished a Western Canada tour with one of Canada’s most successful lesbian folk groups. We were heading from Vancouver Island back to the mainland, and from Horseshoe Bay we were driving straight back to Winnipeg. A minimum of 24 hours solid driving. As I sat at the front of the ferry the sun set, as we sailed through the pitch black. As we arrived at Horseshoe Bay, the water was so calm it was like glass, reflecting the lights of Vancouver like a mirror. The first line of this song popped into my head, and as I scrambled for a pen to write it down, images of places and experiences I’d had from previous tours raced through my mind. The Maple Leaf is like a series of travel excerpts from my mental journal. I wrote it almost as fast as I could write.

If you’d like to download The Maple Leaf, CLICK HERE

As the harbour draws near the Pacific disappears

In the bight lights of Vancouver

From the bay we make our way along the highway

And start to climb from sea to sky

Before we leave we make a point of eating cherries from the tree

And drinking wine in the Okanagan

As we pass through Banff we have our first chance to see

A prairie sky set on fire far and wide

Underneath the maple leaf we are drawn together

Underneath the maple leaf we are one

We set sail and for days we cross the endless waves of wheat

That crash against the shore under our wheels

Outside the Sault the sun breaks through the fog

As we cut our rugged path along north Superior

We wind our way through narrow lanes in old Quebec

To look across the sea way from Le Château Frontenac

You can almost hear the sounds of 1759

Echoing across the Plains of Abraham

Then we walk the white sand along the beach at Martinique

Eating mussels and drinking Alexander Keith’s

We raise a toast at the edge of the Atlantic coast

To the new found land where it all began

So raise your voice from the west to the east

To the truth north strong and free

Lonely was one of those songs written in a bar at 2:00 a.m. It was the end of the night, we were playing the last song in our set as the faithful flock of Jack Daniels disciples swayed like a field of wheat in a non existent breeze in front of the stage.

In mid croon, I discovered there was a picture of Jesus hanging on the wall beside me…in this seedy old run down bar. I guess he’s really a blues man at heart. I looked around at the ones and twos still left, holding on till the door was closed in their face and they’re forced to go home. Cause no one wants to go home when it’s the loneliest place you know.

Some would say the rest is history.

If you’d like to download Lonely CLICK HERE

Lost and alone your fingers worn from holding on

To a hope that’s been torn through suffering

Your glory grows like a rose in a field of thorns

Deep in the dark night of the soul

Lonely life can be so lonely

(with the world hanging on my shoulders)

Hold me and the night won’t feel so long

(carry me away)

Lonely life can be so bare

Through the black and blue

Beautiful bleeds right through

The light that shines in you

Jesus hangs in a picture frame on the wall behind me

In the paint a saint is revealed in suffering

Faintly drawn in the shape of a memory

I remember when his ghost used to haunt me

When the scars are all that’s left of the hurting

Buried deep underneath…your suffering

Lay your heart here on my altar

Stay until you are healed

Questions? Comments? A story of your own? Unlike the seedy bar, the comment section is always open.

Stories Behind the Songs

Lonely was one of those songs written in a bar at 2:00 a.m. It was the end of the night, we were playing the last song in our set as the faithful flock of Jack Daniels disciples swayed like a field of wheat in a non existent breeze in front of the stage.

In mid croon, I discovered there was a picture of Jesus hanging on the wall beside me…in this seedy old run down bar. I guess he’s really a blues man at heart. I looked around at the ones and twos still left, holding on till the door was closed in their face and they’re forced to go home. Cause no one wants to go home when it’s the loneliest place you know.

Some would say the rest is history.

If you’d like to download Lonely CLICK HERE

Questions? Comments? A story of your own? Unlike the seedy bar, the comment section is always open.

Videos Vital To The Survival of the Human Race

It’s a fact: the human race is facing the greatest challenges of our existence. The discerning among us realize the keys to wisdom and enlightenment are no longer found in the hallowed halls of academia nor in the sacred temples of religion. In this new era we must turn the keen eye of observation to viral videos, for they alone hold the keys to our survival.

Guy Starts Dance Party at Sasquatch Music Festival

Every generation needs leaders. This video is text book Leadership 101 – To start a revolution and ‘Be The Change’ you need to be mostly naked, ensure you’re under the influence of some substance that will liberate your body and mind and then gyrate wildly to the beat. Everything else will take care of itself.

Benny Lava

There are over 7 billion of us sharing this specific moment in the Space-Time continuum. Multi cultural inter connectivity demands that we navigate the subtle nuances of a wide variety of languages. This video shows viewers the intuitive discernment necessary for deep and meaningful cross cultural communication.

Backin Up Song

Everyone has a part to play in the great human narrative. But as our attention spans shorten and our ability to read books and write coherent sentences diminishes at an alarming rate, we need new ways to share our stories. One can only imagine how much more effective the Bible would be if Noah, Moses and Jesus could have made viral videos. Even the Original Video is life-changing.

Double Rainbow

This video really expresses the best humanity has to offer. It takes a Man in the Woods and expressively explores the wonder and vitality of nature. It doesn’t shy away from raw masculine emotional vulnerability. It tackles the big ‘What Does it Mean?’ question. It’s importance to the ongoing survival of humanity can’t be overstated.

Grape Lady Falls

With the zombie apocalypse drawing nearer every day we’ll need discipline and order. We need powerful images to expose what happens to cheaters and people who flaunt the rules. Those who try to stamp an extra few grapes for a laugh will not have the last laugh. They will be laughed at by millions and parodied by Stewie and Family Guy.

Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.

Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,

Ronnie James, Artist Agent

info@justartists.org

Empowering Youth

A Host of Entertaining Ideas

 

I’m not lucky…I’m intentional. That’s why I love what I do for a living.

One of the things I’m most proud of in my life, is working with Tribe of One. For 15 years TofO has been working with teachers, administrators and countless organizations to empower and inspire students in communities across North America. Our multi cultural performance workshops allow students to see and hear how First Nations, Metis, French/English and South American indigenous cultures compliment and inspire each other. It’s one thing to talk about multi culturalism…it’s another to see it in action!

Tribe of One features musicians, dancers, painters and slam poets, providing schools and communities with the highest levels of professional arts and culture instruction and opportunities. Immediately following our presentation students get to choose from a variety of break out sessions where they have the opportunity for hands on instruction in hoop dancing and capoeira, painting, slam poetry, multi media storytelling, photography, filmmaking, songwriting and textile arts.

If you would like the students in your school or community to experience this type of opportunity, please contact us. Tribe of One is a national artist collective and represents the combined passion, energy and excitement of Canada’s leading cultural innovators.

Contact:

info@tribeofone.com - 250 896 2572

Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.

Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,

Ronnie James, Artist Agent

info@justartists.org

Dexter Should Go To Elysium

In search of a plot

 

Tonight we decided to head off to the theatre and watch Elysium, this summer’s big sci fi-suspense-thriller staring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. And really, thumbs up all around for a couple of solid hours of escapist entertainment.

There was even a resounding smattering of applause in the theatre when the credits rolled, which I admit I find a weirdly endearing social phenomenon. We didn’t mind a bit that Elysium looked, felt and acted a lot like District 9, including the fact that the bad guy in this movie was actually the good guy in that one, cause it all worked…likely because of Sharlto Copley’s wicked South African accent.

We had fun cause we were loving the story. It was a great ride. You cared about the characters and what was happening to them. The world was believable, which made it easy to buy into the tension, and that created the suspense. And the action…well geez, it’s not often you see a human being blown into that many bits! And this might be taking things too far, but it was funny, and maybe even something of a Freudian slip, that the producers chose to make French the language of Elysium’s hoity-toity bourgeoisie.

Here’s the thing, right before supper a couple of us were watching the latest episode of Dexter. We’ve been fans of the show for years, and while all seasons haven’t been created equal, there have been some doosies where the characters and tension have created a level of suspense that’s kept us on the edge of our seats. Knowing this season is the grand finale we assumed the producers would pull out all the stops, ensure the best writers were on the top of their game and make the 8th season one people would never forget.

Alas…each episode is more forgettable than the one before and the whole season has been one incredibly super boring snooze-o-rama shuffling aimlessly from scene to scene. Where previous seasons had us on the edge of our seat, this season feels like something right out of a Stephanie Myers script.

I mean seriously, Dexter’s kids have always been props, but you have to pity poor Harrison who isn’t even a prop worth keeping in the background. This episode he was actually shuttled off to Joey Quinn’s place for the night with his nanny…cause what long suffering nanny doesn’t want to drag her boss’s kid around day and night. Dexter the Deadbeat Dad…that’s about the most exciting thing in the whole season. The guys at Miami Metro, who are usually swamped solving some elaborate crime are basically just dicking around. Batista’s nail biting character arc this season is deciding who he’s going to promote to Sgt.

And Deb hardly even has anything to swear about. Last week some schlump in the writers room must have realized they’d forgotten an antagonist and decided to call up last year’s villain, Hannah McKay. Did she escape from prison? How or when did that happen? And if one of the most notorious female serial killers escaped, why isn’t there a massive manhunt for her? God knows Angel, Quinn and the rest of the station don’t have anything to do. And when in the world did she have time to meet, seduce and MARRY a multi gazillionaire. Any one of those details should have registered somewhere on Dexter’s radar.

We could have had a phenomenal season. Miami Metro could have been one step from discovering Deb’s role in Laguerta’s death as Dexter scrambled to stay one step ahead of them disposing of incriminating evidence and providing some nefarious misdirection. While that was going on Debra could have been spiralling out of control until her guilt and fierce sense of right and wrong forced her to decide to take him down. You want to bring Hannah back…fine. But only as a femme fatale intent on dealing with Dexter’s betrayal once and for all.

Having Dexter slowly swirl around the toilet bowl one episode at a time is a crime against great storytelling. Especially with all the deserving bastards on Elysium who deserve to spend sometime on Dexter’s table listening to his Dark Passenger pronounce the foreseeable consequence to their actions.

 

The Greatest Crime Ever Committed

Topics: Lifestyle, Mind-Spirit, Motivational, Travel-Adventure

The Greatest Crime Ever Committed
By Rik Leaf | Monday, July 15, 2013 at 10:00 am |Leave a Comment
 The Human Interest Magazine For Evolving Minds

What does ‘living the dream’ mean? More importantly, what does it mean to you? Does it describe what you do, how you do it, or who you are while you’re doing it? How you look at it really determines what you’re going to see.

To continue reading please visit Life As A Human.

15 Reasons You Shouldn’t Quit Your Day Job

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Without Work Clothes You Won’t Know What to Wear

Before you know it, you will have pierced your nipples, shaved your pussy and have an official position on the best way to hold a scrotum.

2. You’ll Find Buddies And Start Working on Cars

Automotive repair is a slippery slope…basically it’s a gateway hobby. One minute you’re replacing a head gasket and the next you’re topless sporting a giant Jesus beard and rocking dress socks and sandals.

 

3. You’ll Find Out You Don’t Have Any Friends

 

 

 

 

 

It was cute when you were little and used to play with your imaginary friends. Here’s the thing, if people see your drunk middle aged ass sucking on popsicles and playing hopscotch with imaginary friends…you my friend, will be going away for a long, long time.

4. You’ll Decide to Make New Friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But without the stabilizing effects of a job…your lack of fashion sense and any kind of functioning moral compass will become painfully obvious to those around you.

5. You’ll Put the Neighbourhood Children At Risk

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being out of work is stressful, and stress triggers unresolved fears. Your night terrors in particular shouldn’t be passed on. Don’t quit your job…for the children’s sake if not for your own.

6. They’ll Repo Your Car and You’ll Have to Use Public Transit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have any idea how hard it will be to get to an interview? Just wait until you’re flying backward down the road in the birthing position starring straight into a stranger’s crotch…you will rue the day you quit your job!

7. UnAble to Afford Therapy and Your Issues Will Spill Out Into the Open

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crushing weight of disappointment, despair and discouragement require expression. Without the water cooler and break room to vent those emotions…you’ll be a ticking time bomb. Remember, the NSA is watching.

8. You’ll Be Tempted to Try and Turn Your Hobby Into a Career

What you do with your pole in the privacy of your own home is one thing…

9. You’ll Try to Reinvent Yourself

A little self improvement is good for the soul( and the CV) but without a job or adult supervision…let’s just say we all remember your collagen-infused-MC-Hammer-pant-meets-Madonna’s pointy-bra-head-shaving-Brittany phase. No judgement…but we remember.

10. Your Kids Will Pay a Heavy Price

Your job as a parent is about so much more than providing food and shelter and changing dirty diapers. It’s about ensuring that you are gone long enough each day that you come home physically exhausted and emotionally drained without the energy to plague your children with your twisted sense of humor.

11. You’ll Want to Take Your Relationship to the Next Level

Here’s the thing…you don’t really have another level. Your relationship works for one simple reason, and that’s the incredibly low expectations your partner has to come accept. You start messing around with that and you’re playing with fire. (and you’re an accident prone buffoon who shouldn’t even play with matches)

12. The Emotional Scars of Defenceless Animals

It’s not just the kids…pets, the elderly even the diseased and infirm are all easy targets for your unfocused, twisted sense of humor. Some wounds take a lifetime to heal, especially with a 7-1 year ratio.

13. You’ll Think You’re Smarter Than You Are

Without a boss and hostile co-workers to remind you what an absolute screw up you are…you’ll develop a false sense of self worth that will produce a fatal degree of confidence that will probably prevent you from ever being hired again.

14. You’ll Try to Get in Touch With Your Artistic Side

Art isn’t as easy as you think. You can’t just write random shit on your feet with a sharpie and call it art.

15. People Will See You For Who You Are & Not What You Do

Without a job people will start to look for other ways to evaluate if you’re a success or a failure. Right now you can excuse a lot because you’re an “active, contributing member of society.” But if you quit your job…people are going to actually expect you to be a better person. Do you really want that to happen?

Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.

Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,

Ronnie James, Artist Agent

info@justartists.org

Humorous or Hate Literature

Humor or Hate Literature

‘One man’s odyssey of discovery and adventure is another man’s hate literature.’ Or so it would seem.

I recently discovered a review of Four Homeless Millionaires on Amazon, written by someone from the small town where I was born and raised. The reviewer started by saying, “As a Library Board member I was asked to read this book because a patron found it objectionable and thought it should be withdrawn.”

It was a brilliant first sentence that immediately grabbed my attention! Controversy usually fuels capitalism and I eagerly read on, anticipating a mid quarter bump in sales. It’s been over two decades since I moved away, but apparently I still, ‘have it’…IT being that inherent gift to offend and outrage the religious community.

The review continued, “The writer, Rik Leaf, is a local author, and his parents were well known in the community. The community in the “olden days” … when Rik was growing up in it, tended to be somewhat “legalistic” in a “Fundamentalist Christian sense. But not 100%! Rik expresses his opinion about this and how it affected his thinking and behavior in some situations. The person objecting to that aspect felt that his criticism was “bordering on hate literature”.

He was of course referring to the chapter, The Sacrilegious Spirit in the Embryonic Soup, in which I admit I had a sneaking suspicion growing up that I was actually part of a Nurture vs. Nature sociology experiment like Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd in Trading Places…meets Stanley Milgram…in Roswell, New Mexico. One thing is certain, Three Hills was a fertile field for my irreverent imagination and I can honestly say I would not be the man I am today without the experience. It’s why I think the Great Stork in the Sky inseminated my sacrilegious spirit into the embryonic soup.

Four Homeless Millionaires is a humorous telling of the many adventures my wife and I had traveling the world with our two kids.  BOOK TRAILER VIDEO. For a limited time you can Enter to Win a FREE COPY of Four Homeless Millionaires through GoodReads.

 

Intrigued? Want to know more? CLICK HERE

Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.

Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,

Ronnie James, Artist Agent

info@justartists.org

Don’t Be a Preacher…It’s a Cardinal Sin

Live in Concert

I’d spent months drafting an initiative to engage the emerging electorate. On my way to her constituency office, I saw the Member of Parliament walking her dog. I jumped out of my van, strolled up bold as can be and asked her if she believed in serendipity. When she said she did, I showed her the large manila envelope in my hand with her name on it. She gave me five minutes to give her my best pitch. It was more than enough time to get her onboard. Together we cooked up an idea to use culture to create a sense of community in our neighbourhood.

To read more please visit Life as a Human

 

Rik Leaf is a professional Producer/Presenter, recording artist, slam poet & published author who spends the majority of his creative time & energy dreaming up ways to inspire people to live awesome lives.

Interested in booking Rik for your Conference/Festival/Event contact,

Ronnie James, Artist Agent

info@justartists.org